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Iran Launches Counterassault After New U.S. Strikes; U.S. Sends Aid to Cuba; U.S. Announces 50 percent Tariffs on Certain Canadian Goods; Thousands in India Return to Protest After Police Crackdown; Change in Ukraine's Military Leadership. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired July 22, 2026 - 04:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[04:30:00]

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: And this is deep underground. It is a facility in which now we are hearing Israel has some intel that suggests Iran moved centrifuges as well as some of that highly enriched uranium deep underground into this facility.

Here is what President Trump said about it, as well as what the Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, said about whether or not the United States could actually reach that facility.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you believe that Iran has moved nuclear centrifuges into Pickaxe Mountain? And when you say we're not done yet, what is left to finish?

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: Well, I think that they may have -- we don't have it on record. All we do is read the fake news. You know, we see -- the news is so wrong so many times. So, you know, maybe this one they have right. But it's OK. It doesn't mean anything unless they have the material.

You're talking about the centrifuges? Yes, it doesn't mean anything unless they have the material. They don't have -- we follow the material. That's where the action is. And we'll be hitting that area very -- probably pretty soon. And there's not a thing they can do about it.

SEN. JOHN KENNEDY (R-LA): Do we have the ability to destroy whatever is underneath Pickaxe Mountain?

PETE HEGSETH, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: A lot of -- Senator, a lot of our capabilities are classified. But if anybody in the world can reach anything on this -- on God's given -- God's green earth, it's the United States military, the most powerful military in the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: So, seemingly playing coy there, the secretary of defense, we should note this is the first time in the last 10 days that we have not seen an announcement from U.S. Central Command that they are continuing these strikes on Iran.

We should also point out that Iran has said that if the U.S. does, in fact, target Pickaxe Mountain, they would view this as an expansion of the regional war. This is coming at a time where President Trump, we know, is considering expanding that war. We've just sent over -- the United States has just sent over more military aircrafts, including fighter jets, F-16s, F-35s, as well as those aerial refueling tankers. It is unclear right now still what the United States' plan is moving ahead.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: Kristen Holmes, CNN, the White House. So, what could an expanded war with Iran look like? Earlier, I spoke with Danny Citrinowicz, and he's actually the former head of Iran -- of at the Israeli Military Intelligence's Research and Analysis Division. Here's what he told me.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANNY CITRINOWICZ, SENIOR. FELLOW, INSTITUTE FOR NATIONAL SECURITY STUDIES: Well, definitely, the Iranians still have ability to increase their damage to especially the Gulf states. They can, of course, attack again and again, like they're doing today, but more extensively. And second, of course, aiming their civilian infrastructure. We've already seen that in Kuwait and Bahrain. They can do that, again, very extensively.

And also, using what the Houthis are doing now, blocking Bab-el-Mandeb Straits, and also using the Houthis to attack those -- the Gulf states as well. So, the thing is that they can have more targets, more countries, and diversification of military and civilian one. They also can cut off any communication line that goes through Hormuz Strait.

So, they definitely have the ability to increase more damage on international economy and, of course, on the Gulf states. It's really depending on what the U.S. will do. But definitely, the Iranians still have the ability to do so.

SANDOVAL: Actually, let's shift to the U.S. element of it all now that we've discussed Iran. I know that you've previously written that one of the first principles of strategy is that military operations should serve a clearly defined political objective. David, what do you assess to be the political objective of the Trump administration at this point?

CITRINOWICZ: Well, I think your guess is as good as mine. I think that we all know what Trump is trying to do -- I'm sorry -- President Trump is trying to do in central command in terms of operational activity, meaning they're trying to cut off Bandar Abbas area, they're trying to limit the Iranians' ability to attack tankers going on Hormuz Strait, and thus, undermining the Iranians' ability to actually control the straits. That's go without saying.

But the real question is what it serves, because it's not going to capitulate Iran. Iran is not going to forego its control over the straits. Iran is not going to forego the memorandum of understanding. So, I'm really asking myself, where is the end?

Because at the end of the day, the U.S. can create a lot of damage for Iran, goes without saying. The U.S. has the military superiority. But at the end of the day, the question is what President Trump is trying to achieve, knowing that there won't be a regime change, knowing that if we attack the energy infrastructure in Iran, Iran will retaliate. And I think that this is the question that needs to be asked, because at the end of the day, this war is continuing, but they don't understand for what end of what they're trying to do, knowing that Iran won't capitulate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[04:35:00]

SANDOVAL: And Britian's new prime minister says that his government will be working quickly to bring economic stability to voters. During Andy Burnham's first cabinet meeting, he promised to tackle soaring costs of living in the U.K. and also to lower energy prices, which have actually been made worse by Russia's war in Ukraine.

The prime minister is also reaffirming the U.K.'s steadfast support for Kyiv, which appears to have triggered an immediate response from Moscow. You see, a Russian naval vessel held a live fire exercise just a few dozen miles off the English coast on Monday. The new British prime minister says that Russia is playing with fire.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WES STREETING, BRITISH DEFENSE MINISTER: Firstly, we should see yesterday's events as performative and irresponsible. It's not the first time that Russia has behaved like this, and frankly, it's the tip of the iceberg of the daily threats that this country faces and our allies face.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: Ukraine's president responding to public anger over his firing of the country's defense minister. Mykhailo Fedorov was ousted last week, just a move that sparked protests in Kyiv. Fedorov's reforms and innovations were often at odds with Ukraine's military establishment, but were very popular with troops and citizens.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, he has now offered this man a new government role. He also fired the country's top military chief and replaced him with a younger but experienced commander. Here's Nick Paton Walsh with more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): A generational shift, the younger Ukrainians doing the fighting now run by a general near their age, 43-year-old Mykhailo Drapatyi. Out Oleksandr Syrskyi, aged 60, who for years met the Soviet brutality of Russia with similar resolve and ruthlessness, nicknamed "the Butcher", he became the face of the relentless, ugly toll of the war on frontline troops, sending people to die as something a wartime general has to do along with always be winning to stay popular.

And while Syrskyi had notched up enough small victories, they did not save him from modernity. His wartime resume begins with the defense of Kyiv, where thousands of locals bolstered the city's route of the Russians. The Kharkiv counteroffensive in late 2022 saw Russia collapse, a startling reversal exposing poor command and supply lines for which Syrskyi is credited.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We need to end the enemy units in front of you. You've proved you can do it.

WALSH (VOICE-OVER): But his rivalry with his boss, then commander Valerii Zaluzhnyi, many analysts have said, led Syrskyi to push a focus on the city of Bakhmut during the next Summer, and leave the main push of the counteroffensive, Ukraine's main chance to break Russia's road to Crimea with a flood of new western equipment to falter.

Zaluzhnyi lost his job months later to Syrskyi, who swiftly needed a win after so many slow losses, including Bakhmut. The response was daring and stunning, if not strategically sound in the long run. The first invasion of Russia since the Nazis, Kursk.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Over the past 24 hours, our military has moved forward 1 to 3 km in specific directions.

WALSH (voice-over): A major embarrassment for Putin and a turn in the narrative until Ukraine slowly left the next year. Ultimately, the war changed around Ukraine, and Syrskyi, as younger generation found tech could compensate for a lack of brute force and people.

Mykhailo Fedorov; the disruptor-in-chief and new Minister of Defense leading the use of drones early to hit deep inside Russia, I.T., data, open tenders for equipment transparency, questioning everything and robots and more robots. Nothing could be farther from the Syrskyi way of war. But it began to work and gained popularity. The major metric in Zelenskyy's decision-making. Fedorov, too popular, it seemed, when he openly clashed with Syrskyi, leaving the older General whose failings and frailty had been the talk of Kyiv for months.

Suddenly, the victor when Zelenskyy edged out a rising star. That was until rare Kyiv protests switched to focus on Syrskyi, leaving Zelenskyy with another popularity crisis, his own and in need of a new military commander. A bizarrely open and fickle back-and-forth, democracy in wartime, some say, or the President ditching losers or out with the old and in with the new and whatever just happened, they too, have to keep winning.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: Well, grim new details are emerging in court about the killing of former British lawmaker Ann Widdecombe.

[04:40:00] The prosecutor is revealing that the 78-year-old was struck 21 times with a hammer. Well, they say that the suspect, Joshua Kerry, entered her home and attacked her as she sat eating her lunch. Authorities are saying that the assault lasted just two minutes. The 28-year-old Kerry was denied bail and will remain in custody ahead of a trial, which is tentatively set for next June.

France is now the first E.U. country to ban the use of social media for children under 15. Lawmakers overwhelmingly approved a bill on Tuesday that would restrict access for children and establish new rules for social media advertising. CNN's Melissa Bell with more details from Paris.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: France has become the first E.U. country to ban social media for under 15s, following in the footsteps of Australia, who'd banned social media for under 16s, and the United Kingdom, which had announced a similar project for children there.

The idea is that children under 15 will, from September 1, no longer be able to set up any accounts on social media, and from January 2027, any existing accounts will be discontinued. The idea was one of the ones that Emmanuel Macron had announced would be one of his flagship measures for his second term. It's expected to take effect from September.

We had a chance to speak to some schoolchildren at the International School here in Paris about what they thought.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I use certain apps to see what people are doing, to see where they've been and what the kind of things that they're doing are.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, do you think you're going to miss it?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I think I would, yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: With social media, people often compare themselves with other people, and that's just unhealthy, and it's bad for people's mental health.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'll probably have a little bit more free time, which I might be able to spend with friends, which I think is a little bit better than on social media. But I think I won't be able to do like -- I like gaming, and I like social media. I like doing those things. So, it's a little bit sad not to be able to share my accomplishments or not to be able to like update -- get updates as quickly on things, you know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BELL: Other European countries like Spain, Greece and Denmark are also looking at similar legislation. And E.U.-wide, there is the possibility there may be a block-wide ban at some point. Ursula von der Leyen has set up a panel to look into the question of how better to protect children online.

Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: Well, 74 years ago, a Pan Am plane went down off the coast of Puerto Rico. Well, now the decades-long search for the plane's wreckage is finally over. We'll get you those details coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:45:00]

SANDOVAL: Well, the government of Guyana says that 41 bodies have been recovered from a ferry that capsized about 11 kilometers from shore. At least 77 people have been rescued while 61 remain unaccounted for. Search and rescue operations, those are ongoing. Authorities say that an inaccurate passenger manifest made it more difficult to determine just how many people were on board when the ferry sank on Saturday. The captain and at least one other crew member are in police custody after authorities say they tested positive for marijuana.

Well, it's now been 74 years since Pan Am flight, since a Pan Am flight crashed off of the coast of Puerto Rico in a disaster that would change the future of airline safety. And now, the resting place of the Clipper Endeavor has finally been found. Search teams using sonar and underwater drones located the wreckage in the deep waters off Puerto Rico's northern coast.

Our Tom Foreman has the details on the discovery and how the 1952 crash made modern air travel safer.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, God.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a plane.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wow, look at that!

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For the search team, the discovery of the lost Pan Am plane is a sensation. After 74 years in the sand and salt water, many thought this Douglas DC-4 would never be seen again. But there it is, ghostly images of the aluminum body, the wings, even the logo, found after years of tireless work by the Air Sea Heritage Foundation, the Discovery Channel, and Deep Sea Vision, which brought a highly advanced underwater drone.

JOSH GATES, HOST, "EXPEDITION UNKNOWN: And that sonar vehicle, which is autonomous, went down to almost 2,000 feet below the surface. When we first saw the sonar imagery and saw the outline of that plane, it just took our breath away. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fly first class or tourist on Pan Am's radar- equipped Super 7 Clippers.

FOREMAN (voice-over): In the decade after World War II, as civilian air traffic boomed, Pan Am was a global leader. The Clipper Endeavor promised a then-quick eight-hour trip from Puerto Rico to New York City on Good Friday, 1952.

But shortly after takeoff, two of Endeavor's four engines failed, along with efforts to turn back. The old accident report says all aboard survived the violent watery impact, but passengers were not told where life jackets were located or instructed in their use prior to ditching.

Confusion over life rafts and escape exits followed as the plane sank in three minutes. Seventeen people survived amid pitching seas and swirling sharks. Fifty-two did not.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Welcome aboard.

FOREMAN (voice-over): But the flight arguably has saved many, many lives since, because it directly led to the creation of regulations requiring passenger safety briefings before every takeoff.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Locate the exit nearest to you.

FOREMAN (voice-over): A legacy for the living from dozens who were lost for so long and whose resting place now has been found.

GATES: This flight and this tragic accident really changed aviation, fundamentally changed it forever, and we're all safer because of this accident. And so, I think we owe them a real debt of remembrance.

FOREMAN: Of course, Discovery and CNN are owned by the same company, and Discovery plans to have a show about all of this later in the year. What they do not plan to do is in any way to disturb the wreckage or the remains of these folks who lost their lives so many years ago.

TOM FOREMAN, CNN, WASHINGTON.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: And after more than a decade, "Outlander" fans are saying goodbye to the hit TV show and its time-traveling storylines. But they can take a piece of the show's history with them into the future, of course, for a price.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:50:00]

SANDOVAL: An Australian judge has dismissed a defamation case against actress Rebel Wilson. The case was brought by actress, Charlotte MacInnes, which is the star of Wilson's directorial debut, a movie musical called "The Deb." She claims that Wilson posted misinformation on social media about alleged sexual harassment by one of the film's producers. MacInnes further claimed that the incident had damaged her career prospects and made the subject of abuse, hatred, and ridicule online.

For eight seasons, the hit TV show "Outlander" followed characters around the globe and through hundreds of years of time travel. And soon fans will have a chance to own their own piece of the show's history. You see, as some of "Outlander's" most recognizable props and costumes, they hit the auction block in London next month. Here's our Lynda Kinkade with more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know all of this because I'm from the future.

LYNDA KINKADE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The time-traveling TV series Outlander has come to a close, but fans still have a chance to own a piece of the hit show. Props, costumes, and set pieces from Outlander are set to go on auction at the London auction house Bonhams.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's me.

KINKADE (voice-over): The show ran for eight seasons after its premiere in 2014. And took fans around the world, from the Scottish Highlands to America. Many iconic costumes from major scenes in the show will go under the hammer, with estimates that some items will go for several $1,000.

[04:55:00]

MADELEINE CATER, BONHAMS HEAD OF SALES: There's such a big range from all of the tartan from the early Scottish Highlander episodes through to Paris, which was amazing sort of sumptuous, luxurious costumes through into America. I think the red dress that Clare wears in season two is going to be a fan favorite.

I think a lot of Jamie's costumes, particularly the tartan costume and the kilt that he wears in the Battle of Culloden against his arch nemesis Black Jack. I think that's really going to see some competitive bidding. And I think people are just really excited to own a part of this show.

KINKADE (voice-over): The auction has some experience when it comes to auctioning U.K. production memorabilia. Bonham's previously auctioned off props and costumes from "The Crown and Downton Abbey".

CATER: We're really seeing that these long shows build such an audience, and it makes people really invested in it. And I think for a lot of people, they have a real connection and an emotional connection to it now, and that history and that story. So, we think maybe some private museums, some individual collectors. It's going to be really interesting to see where it all ends up.

KINKADE (voice-over): The live auction takes place on August 5th.

Lynda Kinkade, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: And now, to Paris, where a gallery in the Louvre Museum has reopened exactly nine months after precious French crown jewels were stolen in a shocking heist. And just a matter of minutes, probably with much more security this time, there were some arrests, but the jewelry, it's still not been recovered on that in the hours ahead.

Thank you so much for watching. I'm Pablo Sandoval in New York. Our coverage continues with CNN Headline Express, next.

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